Apple’s flagship L.A. store will be part retail, part performance center

The 91-year-old Tower Theater will be the home of the first LA Apple Store in the Downtown district. Photo: Steve Minor/Flickr

Apple’s plans for the historic Tower Theatre store were revealed today, showcasing how the iPhone-maker plans to turn the Los Angeles location into one of its main flagship stores.

Tower Theatre was one of the first buildings in L.A. with air conditioning, an aspect that intrigued Apple when it started making plans. Instead of constructing a perfect glass box store, Apple plans to keep a lot of the building’s historical aspects intact.

BJ Siegel, senior director of retail design at Apple, told the Los Angeles Times that he envisions the Los Angeles location being something truly special.

Resurrecting Tower Theatre as an Apple store

“All of that cool technology inspires us because we are a technology company and we are bringing new technology to the place,” Siegel said. The Tower Theatre will be “in the upper echelon of what Apple does. It very much differs from the other Apple stores you see in L.A.”

The theater won’t simply serve as a retail location. Apple will host programs and classes for the public there, too. The theater will also be a performance location for events.

Tower Theatre’s proximity to Hollywood — where Apple wants to make a big splash with its original content — also doesn’t hurt. The new store will serve as a statement to rivals that Apple is officially in the filmmaking business.

No completion date for the store has been announced yet. Apple should file its formal plans with the city this week.